Lakewood, NJ - A meeting to be held tomorrow night between a group of Ocean County mayors will discuss the ongoing concerns regarding a Lakewood citizens patrol that has recently come under fire by officials in neighboring townships.

As previously reported on VIN News (http://goo.gl/UF93SF), the Lakewood Civilian Safety Watch has already been banned from patrolling in Toms River by police chief Mitchell Little, with Jackson mayor Mike Reina expressing concern that the neighborhood watch group was deliberately trying to pass themselves off as members of law enforcement.

The closed door meeting is being convened by Lakewood police chief Robert Lawson to combat misinformation about the LCSW, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Lawson declined to say who would be at the meeting or where it would be held, but did say that representatives of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department and Prosecutor’s Office had both been invited.

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Lawson noted that while the LCSW had clashed with local police on occasion in its early days, sometimes overstepping boundaries, improvements have been dramatic since Rabbi Israel Bursztyn took charge of the group.

“I don’t remember the last time I’ve had an issue where I’ve had to call them in and say, ‘You can’t do this. You’re going too far. You’re not cops,’” said Lawson.

With Lakewood’s dramatic population explosion in recent years, Lawson noted that the LCSW has been an asset to the town, supplementing his already overtaxed force of 130 officers and providing assistance in burglaries, robbery arrests and during Hurricane Sandy.

Lawson said that he relies both on the LCSW and Chaveirim to respond to numerous calls and to monitor the area for suspicious activity.

“If anything, I would think (residents) would feel comfortable having them around because if they see something suspicious, they’re going to call the police department,” said Lawson.

Lawson refuted allegations that the LCSW, which is registered with the Internal Revenue Service as Lakewood Shomrim Inc., is exclusively Jewish. Lawson noted that the patrol has evolved over the years and includes members of different races and ethnicities.

A resolution passed Tuesday night by the Jackson Township Council bans local police from affiliating with any neighborhood watch group based outside of the township. Rob Nixon, president of the Jackson Township Council, said that the action came in response to complaints from residents who were unhappy that the LCSW had been observed patrolling Jackson streets.

Nixon also took the LCSW to task for directing traffic and arriving at emergency scenes before emergency medical personnel and firefighters.

“It’s best to let [first responders] do their job and let a neighborhood watch serve the purpose of what they’re intended to do,” said Nixon. “When things are suspicious, a neighborhood watch is designed to call the authorities.”

Nixon denied that the council’s actions were motivated by anti-Semitism and said that Tuesday’s ban was also unrelated to recently enacted no-knock ordinances in three townships near Lakewood.

“I’m very sensitive to the impression that everything we do in town is anti-Semitic,” said Nixon. “I don’t want that to be the impression. We’re a great community. We welcome everybody, but we have rules. Just follow the rules.”

Friction has continued to build in and around Lakewood as Orthodox Jewish families have been eyeing properties in nearby communities.

Lakewood mayor Menashe Miller took Toms River mayor Thomas Kelaher to task in March for describing the influx of Jewish residents to the area as “an invasion,” categorizing his remarks as “pure, unadulterated bigotry” and demanding an apology. Kelaher refused to back down from his remarks, saying only that he had been misunderstood.

Word also came today about an unannounced meeting held in April which brought together the mayors of Lakewood, Jackson, Howell and Manchester to discuss issues affecting their communities.

The meeting was called by Jackson Mayor Reina and, according to emails, the agenda included blockbusting, illegal renovations, harassment tactics used by realtors and other relevant issues.

The four men issued a statement today to the Asbury Park Press saying that while they could not discuss specifics, the meeting was intended to initiate conversation and promote an exchange of ideas.

“Each of us welcomed the dialogue and we look forward to maintaining the channels of communication,” said the statement.

According to a Bloomberg article, the number of births in Lakewood has skyrocketed from approximately 2,400 in 2002 to just under 4,000 in 2012. With this growing baby boom comes a greater need for housing in the Lakewood area, prompting many to look in neighboring townships.

Toms River resident Michael Dedominicis, who heads the Toms River Strong social media group, said that the opposition to the influx of new residents has nothing to do with anti-Semitism.

Dedominicis said that many locals are concerned that with the influx of Orthodox Jewish residents, Toms River will start to resemble certain areas of Lakewood where multiple families are crammed into single family homes, piles of trash linger at the curb and neglected, overgrown landscaping is commonplace.

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May 12, 2016 at 09:54 AMgetitright Says:

i challenge anyone to find any validity to the following quote at the end of the article-specifically the last sentence.

"Dedominicis said that many locals are concerned that with the influx of Orthodox Jewish residents, Toms River will start to resemble certain areas of Lakewood where multiple families are crammed into single family homes, piles of trash linger at the curb and neglected, overgrown landscaping is commonplace."

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May 12, 2016 at 10:08 AMLuckyStrike Says:

I live in Monsey and personally I hear the concern of the non-orthodox residents. You don't find worries like these in places like Teaneck where the residents respect the town's current zoning and suburban look. There must be a reason for that.

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May 12, 2016 at 10:29 AMPragmatist Says:

If all that LCSW is doing is patrolling a neighborhood then the local police cannot legally ban then. LCSW members have a right to drive or walk on any public road, just like anyone else. On the other hand, LCSW members shouldn't use flashing car lights, question people, or direct traffic. In short, they can't act as wannabe cops.

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May 12, 2016 at 11:25 AMdiemaynstazdiebiztklieg Says:

Oh! The great City of Toms River, does not have the welfare slums as Lakewood from the lower elements (not the orthodox jews), and they don't live cramped and trash the curbs with garbage, as they are extremely clean, law abiding and pay taxes on their profits of their narcotics businesses?

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May 12, 2016 at 11:52 AMLakewooder Says:

“
i challenge anyone to find any validity to the following quote at the end of the article-specifically the last sentence.

"Dedominicis said that many locals are concerned that with the influx of Orthodox Jewish residents, Toms River will start to resemble certain areas of Lakewood where multiple families are crammed into single family homes, piles of trash linger at the curb and neglected, overgrown landscaping is commonplace."

to state that preventing people from buying in any area because they are filthy and garbage filled is pure bias with clear intimations and tones.

toms river has loads of trash in many areas beer bottles needles and other filth.

jackson has its complexes filled with similar.

lakewood has a greater percentage of its housing in better shape than its neighbors.

to vin and to all of you fueling the issues..... we are lakewood strong and we are proud.chief Lawson is doing the right thing in fostering good relations and stripping bias related misinformation.

lakewood is a amazing and soon all the other areas should learn tolerance from us. ”

My friend did you ever try driving in a development where "multiple families are crammed into single family homes" aka illegal basements? How many bikes, toys and strollers are all over the place. On a motzai shabbos the street is littered with these stuff. Its like driving thru an obstical course. Now let me bring up another big issue traffic. So imagine you live on a quite block in Toms River. Next door to you a hiemisha moves in and opens a play group. Now at 915 in the morning you have cars parked in all different directions, dropping off kids. Then again at 215 the same occurs. All of a sudden your block is very not quite and hard to drive on. Then on you corner someone decides to open a hiemish grocery store. Good luck getting near there on a Friday.I fully understand where these guys are coming from. I don't think its anti semitic rather antl the noisy jewish lifestyle.

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May 12, 2016 at 11:54 AMAnonymous Says:

“
I live in Monsey and personally I hear the concern of the non-orthodox residents. You don't find worries like these in places like Teaneck where the residents respect the town's current zoning and suburban look. There must be a reason for that. ”

Lawrence is very respectful to the towns rules and zooning. Yet the jewish residents had big problems there.

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May 12, 2016 at 02:02 PMMark Levin Says:

Maybe if Lakewood did a better job with garbage collection, there wouldn't be as much garbage around. COLLECT MORE OFTEN!! The problem with Lakewood is they haven't grown with the population. The streets are still crowded because they still think it's the 1950s. Nothing has been done on Route 9 south of the lake in the longest of time. There aren't too many sidewalks for people to use.

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Jun 08, 2016 at 09:28 PMXerocky Says:

Could it be time to perhaps think about cutting off welfare for these leaches? Get a job! How many children does one family need? I'd say the exact same thing to any other ethnic group before you call me an antisemitic, which I'm sure someone will anyhow.

And of course they're filthy and litter and throw garbage all over the place. Look at their neighborhood.